We now know that filming for The Bear season 5 will begin in January 2026, but what we don’t know is whether this installment will be the FX series’ last. Though we previously saw significant gaps between seasons, FX seems to have learned from other platforms that it needs to pick up the pace. The company renewed The Bear for season 5 only a handful of weeks after season 4 premiered in 2025. With filming underway, we could get the next chapter in Carmy Berzatto’s story by the end of next year.
Given The Bear‘s success, this is excellent news. This very unique comedy-drama has won a total of 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards so far, so it’s no surprise that FX is willing to invest in more episodes. The only problem is that there has been no official confirmation that The Bear season 5 will wrap up the story.
The Bear Season 5 Should Be The FX Series’ Last
Jeremy Allen White and Lionel Boyce in The Bear season 2Chuck Hodes / ©FX on Hulu / Courtesy Everett Collection
The Bear is a highly intense, profoundly artistic, and shockingly cognitive experience. The writing is phenomenal, brought to life by a cast that appears to seamlessly step into their deeply complicated but beautifully believable characters. It’s a masterpiece in every sense of the word, and it’s for precisely this reason that The Bear needs to come to an end with season 5.
If The Bear were an episodic procedural, it would be no surprise if it went on and on until the ratings dropped and FX finally pulled the plug on its money cow. However, that’s not how this series is set up. It’s a story with very intentional arcs for each character, and these all seem to be heading toward a natural, final climax in the coming episodes. Still, FX has given no word about The Bear‘s future.
My concern is that such a successful series will be too hard for the company to let go of.
Typically, when a show is being wrapped up, this news will come packaged with the season’s confirmed renewal. This hasn’t happened with The Bear. Season 5 was simply confirmed. Of course, it’s possible that FX will announce with season 5’s promotional material that this will be the final installment. Still, my concern is that such a successful series will be too hard for the company to let go of.
Too Many TV Shows Have Overstayed Their Welcome
Carmy in the kitchen in The Bear
The TV industry is, of course, a business. Though there is clearly an artistic element, production companies are in it to make money. There’s often a war that happens between creativity and profitability. When the latter wins out, we tend to see exceptional TV shows overstay their welcome, continuing on past the logical end of their central story to the point of irrelevance.
I’d hate to see this happen with The Bear. The news that Carmy plans to leave his restaurant indicates that the central story is headed toward its close. Creatively, the series should end with season 5. However, if we don’t get such news by the premiere, we can count on more installments to come, each of which would take this otherwise great show closer to losing its legacy.
Release Date
June 23, 2022
Network
Hulu
Showrunner
Christopher Storer
Directors
Ramy Youssef
Writers
Catherine Schetina, Alex Russell, Karen Joseph Adcock, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Stacy Osei-Kuffour
